Why Dealing with an Uber Accident Is More Complicated than Other Types of Auto Accidents
There are few services that have grown as quickly as Uber & Lyft. In just ten years, these services went from being new curiosities to ubiquitous parts of urban life. People who rarely used taxis now regularly use the word Uber as a verb and “Uber” to dinner or drinks or work on a regular basis.
There are literally tens-of-thousands of Uber drivers in Los Angeles, and while they are not all out on the streets at the same time, Uber and Lyft vehicles are easy to spot no matter where and when you travel the city.
With all these drivers, it of course means that Ubers and Lyfts are often involved in Los Angeles car accidents, but drivers and passengers injured in one of these accidents have discovered that dealing with Uber / Lyft is not like dealing with a regular driver or even a taxi.
Uber & Lyfts are NOT Taxis
It’s easy to think of your Uber as just a modern taxi. From the user (rider) standpoint, it is basically the same thing, with an app replacing a phone call or a loud whistle. Taxis, however, are licensed as professional drivers. An Uber/Lyft driver is a private citizen. They don’t have to take a class or receive any special licensing.
Taxi drivers are also employees of the taxi service they work for. Uber/Lyft drivers are not classified as employees, which greatly reduces the liability to the companies.
The vehicles used by Uber drivers are personal vehicles or vehicles rented by the drivers. Uber and Lyft do not own fleets of cars being used to transport customers. Because these cars are personally owned by the drivers, they are also insured by the drivers own personal policies. If you are a passenger in an Uber and you are involved in an accident, you will NOT be covered as part of that personal car policy held by the driver.
As a passenger, you should be covered by Uber or Lyft’s insurance that is part of every ride, but the companies are getting a reputation for being very difficult to deal with when filing injury claims. Uber famously denied they had any liability at all when a driver killed a young pedestrian between rides back in 2014, but thankfully the State of California changed the laws in 2015 to mandate that ride-share companies must consider their drivers to be “on duty” whenever they are seeking a ride, not just while rides are ongoing. Basically, it means that when a driver has the app open they are considered working.
You Need and Experienced Uber Accident Attorney
